GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE, London, May, 1785  Among the articles within are: "Observations on a Tour Through the Island of Jersey" which is in the English Channel; "Anecdotes of Hogarth" "Summary of Proceedings in the Present Session of Parliament" "Original Letter form Dr. Johnston" & so much more.
Near the back is: "Intelligence..." with news from various corners of the globe including: "Advices from America" which reports a loan from the Netherlands to the United States, and mentions that: "...The legislature of Virginia have given his excellency Gen. Washington 50 proprietary shares in the new navigation up the river Potowmack and 100 in that on James River...A donation worthy the commonwealth of Virginia, says the letter writer." More news from America as well.
Includes the foldout plate called for which includes a print of "Simpson's Hospital at Dublin", plus several coins/medals, etc.
Complete in 88 pages, 5 1/4 by 8 1/4 inches, full title/contents page with an engraving of St. John's Gate. very nice condition.

Background: This May 1785 excerpt captures a pivotal moment of transition for the early United States, illustrating both its fragile post-Revolutionary sovereignty and the foundational steps toward domestic infrastructure and national unity. The mention of the Netherlands loan underscores America’s critical dependence on European financiers to stabilize its deeply indebted economy under the Articles of Confederation, a financial lifeline that kept the young republic afloat. Simultaneously, Virginia's donation of river navigation shares to George Washington highlights a major turning point in American infrastructure; these shares were tied to the Potomac Company, a venture spearheaded by Washington to link the Atlantic seaboard with the Ohio Valley. Historically, this project not only aimed to secure western trade routes against British and Spanish encroachment but also fostered the interstate cooperation between Maryland and Virginia (via the 1785 Mount Vernon Conference) that directly catalyzed the call for the Constitutional Convention. Furthermore, Washington's subsequent refusal to accept the shares for personal enrichment—instead redirecting them to fund public education—solidified his reputation as a modern Cincinnatus, cementing a civic precedent of selflessness that defined the early American leadership ideal.